Fructose reduces Tollens' reagent due to `:`

Options

A. primary alcoholic group
B. secondary alcoholic group
C. enolisation of fructose followed by conversion to aldehyde by base
D. asymmetric carbons

Answer

To solve the question "Fructose reduces Tollens' reagent due to:", we need to analyze the properties of fructose and the Tollens' reagent.

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Tollens' Reagent**:
- Tollens' reagent is a solution of silver nitrate (AgNO₃) in ammonia (NH₃) that contains Ag⁺ ions. It is primarily used to test for aldehydes, which can reduce Ag⁺ to metallic silver.

2. **Identifying Fructose**:
- Fructose is a simple sugar (monosaccharide) that is classified as a ketose because it contains a ketone functional group (C=O) rather than an aldehyde (R-CHO).

3. **Ketones and Tollens' Test**:
- Generally, ketones do not react with Tollens' reagent because they are not easily oxidized. Therefore, fructose, being a ketone, would not reduce Tollens' reagent directly.

4. **Enolization of Fructose**:
- Under basic conditions, fructose can undergo a process called enolization, where it can convert into an enol form. This enol form can then tautomerize to yield an aldehyde.

5. **Conversion to Aldehyde**:
- The enol form of fructose can rearrange to form glucose or mannose, both of which are aldoses (sugars with an aldehyde group). These aldehydes can then reduce Tollens' reagent.

6. **Conclusion**:
- The reason fructose can reduce Tollens' reagent is that it can be converted to aldehyde forms (glucose and mannose) under basic conditions, which can then react with Tollens' reagent.

### Final Answer:
Fructose reduces Tollens' reagent due to its conversion to aldehyde forms (glucose and mannose) through enolization under basic conditions.

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